Into Mischief’s Life Is Good dominates Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1)
November 7, 2021
Life Is Good is much the best in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – Benoit photo
Life Is Good, Into Mischief’s brilliant 4-year-old colt, completely dominated Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar, rolling to a 5 ¾-length, front-running victory.
Into Mischief, currently the world’s leading sire of 2021, has now sired the winners of five Breeders’ Cup races: Goldencents’ back-to-back wins in the 2013-14 Dirt Mile, Covfefe in the 2019 Filly and Mare Sprint, Gamine in the same race last year, and Authentic, who won the 2020 Classic en route to Horse of the Year honors last year.
After missing the summer racing season, Life Is Good has come back with a very narrow loss to future Spendthrift stallion Jackie’s Warrior in the Allen Jerkens S. (G1) and a blowout victory in the Kelso H. (G2). His overall record now stands at 5-1-0 in six outings, with earnings of $1,059,200 for owners CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm.
The strategy for Saturday’s Mile was to let Life Is Good use his considerable speed and dare his opponents to challenge him. Eight Rings was his closest pursuer early, a length behind Life Is Good after a half-mile in a very swift :44.94. Ginobili took up the chase on the turn, but Life Is Good shook him off at the top of the stretch and pulled away with complete authority to finish up in 1:34.12 on a fast main track.
“We were hoping for that, expecting that based on the way that he’s been training, but it’s always great to see it actually happen,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He took it to them. Just too much horse.”
Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, Life Is Good is out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk. He was a $525,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale.
Life Is Good also has stakes wins in the San Felipe S. (G2) and Sham S. (G2) as a 3-year-old.